How Choosing a Credit Card?

Choosing a Credit Card In the UK

Credit card companies are all over the world and so are credit cards. Some of the credit card companies only offer cards to a specific country or region that they are in. If you live in the UK, then you might need some information about credit cards that are available for you.

Credit cards that you get in the UK are not any different from any other credit cards. The credit card companies offer special incentives to get customers like 0% APR for a specific time period, no annual fees, and you may even be able to apply for the credit cards online. Many credit card companies based in the UK do not give their cards to consumers in other countries due to security reasons. However, if you live in the UK, then there are many companies that are sure to let you fill out an application to receive their specific credit card.

There are many companies that encourage you to apply online. They overwhelm you with ads, promising a 60 second approval.

Credit card use in the UK can cause financial problems just as it does all over the world. People in the UK owe tens of billions of pounds in credit card debt at an interest rate of over 16% and this figure keeps getting higher and higher. Debts over 2500 pounds are common to ten percent of the people in UK and combined with high interest rates, this figure is near impossible to get to come down.

There are some benefits to having a credit card that a great many UK consumers find appealing. Some of the credit card companies offer cash back with purchases, air miles, travel insurance, and insurance for your purchases. A credit card looks good to many UK consumers, especially when you add in the discount vouchers.

When you decide to apply for a credit card, you should research all of your choices to find the one that is best for you. Once you receive it, you need to be careful in using it or you could find yourself in a financial mess. If you use your credit card wisely, then you will find that it will make your life easier, no matter what country you live in.

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DO you know credit cards.?

Learning About Cash Back Credit Cards: Good or Bad Idea?

Getting a credit card that offers cash back always sounds like a good idea. What could be better than getting cash back on all the purchases that you make with your credit card? It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it?

Well, there are cards that give you free cash, but it is usually only around 1% cash back. However, free money is free money, right? Well, sometimes.

If you like to buy a lot of things in one month, this kind of credit card probably sounds great to you. However, you need to keep in mind that they are not going to give you cash back on every purchase that you make. Even if they claim to give you cash back on every purchase, they will only give you up to a certain amount per transaction. The company also has a strict limit on the amount that they will give back to their customers. If you read the little, bitty print on the form that you signed, you will see a paragraph with their limits in the terms and agreements.

This is another way to try to draw in new customers for these companies. It is a good credit card to have and sounds great in theory, but they will have to check your credit rating before they will give you their card.

Research different credit card companies to see what they are offering. You may be surprised to find a cash back credit card that offers you just what you need and want with a high cash back percentage, few limits on the amount they will give you back, and instant cash deposits when you make each purchase with their card.

Although these credit cards seem like a great thing to have, some companies will need your credit rating to be great too. However, there are credit card companies that offer these cards to people with a low credit rating to help them rebuild their credit. Research all of your options.

What should your decision be? If you have a good credit rating, then this card is a great option for you. Research different card companies – there are cards out there that offer you up to 3% cash back and impose very few limits. If, however, you have a bad credit rating, you may want to find a credit card that will help you rebuild your credit.

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Digital music.

Oh yeah, I can still recall those days back in the 80s when I carried around my Walkman everywhere. Yeah, those were the good old days. Or at least that's what folks tell me. I was in elementary school at the time and things were okay I guess. I don't think I'd put the whole "good old days" spin on it. I prefer the present myself. Regardless, there is one thing I can tell you about the 80s. Walkman's were the BOMB! I think 99 percent of American children were toting these babies around like a precious stone or something. You were really considered cool if you had one of the high end ones from Sony or Toshiba. You know the ones that rewound takes in a split second and were water-proof. Heck, we all wanted one. Unfortunately those days of cassettes and Walkman's are long past. Even the Discman's are no more. They're basically obsolete in this modern era of technology. These days we have the almighty IPod or MP3 Player. And you'd better believe you can acquire cheap portable mp3 players online.

What is the best website to browse for cheap portable mp3 players? Hey, take you pick from the deluge. I doubt you can even locate all the contemporary websites with cheap portable mp3 players. However, if you're searching for a few of the major ones, let me fill you in. CircuitCity.com is a huge one. Not only can you stroll through their gargantuan electronics store, but you can take full advantage of online deals and coupons as well. Sometimes they even offer cyberspace specials that aren't found in your local store. Then there is Best Buy. This is always one of my favorite super stores to shop in. You can test out and hold all of there cheap portable mp3 players with the assistance of a sales clerk. It's really sweet, because it's difficult to tell if you're purchasing the right one without testing it first. Finally there is Amazon.com. This may be the largest Internet-based store on the planet. It really doesn't matter if you're looking for cheap portable mp3 players, or shopping for hair picks; this store has it all. Simply punch in what you're after and BAM.

When it comes to cheap portable mp3 players, I have to admit that I'm an IPod fan. Check out the mini ones they currently have available in cool colors. I seriously doubt you will be disappointed. Have a blast listening to thousands of tunes.

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Happy Father's Day

What Makes A Dad

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,The calm of a quiet sea,The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities,When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad

Author is unknown

The idea for creating a day for children to honor their fathers began in Spokane, Washington. A woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd thought of the idea for Father's Day while listening to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909.

Having been raised by her father, William Jackson Smart, after her mother died, Sonora wanted her father to know how special he was to her. It was her father that made all the parental sacrifices and was, in the eyes of his daughter, a courageous, selfless, and loving man. Sonora's father was born in June, so she chose to hold the first Father's Day celebration in Spokane, Washington on the 19th of June, 1910.

In 1926, a National Father's Day Committee was formed in New York City. Father's Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress in 1956. In 1972, President Richard Nixon established a permanent national observance of Father's Day to be held on the third Sunday of June. So Father's Day was born in memory and gratitude by a daughter who thought that her father and all good fathers should be honored with a special day just like we honor our mothers on Mother's Day.

The excert below is from the Silver Anniversary Book on Father's day published in 1935. I would like to thank William Jackson Smart's great granddaughter, Bonnie, for sharing this with me.

"This year, 1935, the Silver Anniversary of Fathers' Day is being observed. Thirty-seven years ago, in the Big Bend hills of Washington, the day had its nativity in a lonely farm dwelling. There Sorrow ministered amid the moaning of the March winds.

A father sat with bowed head in his aloneness. About him clung his weeping children. The winds outside threw great scarfs of powdered snow against the window panes, when suddenly the last born tore himself from the group and rushed out into the storm calling for his mother. Yet even his baby voice could not penetrate the great silence that held this mother.

Hurriedly, the father gathered him back to his protection and for more than two decades, William Jackson Smart, alone, kept paternal vigilance over his motherless children.

This poignant experience in the life of Mrs. John Bruce Dodd of Spokane, Washington, who was then Sonora Louise Smart, was the inspiration for Fathers' Day which materialized through the devotion of this father and the father of her own son, John Bruce Jr., born in 1909. Through the observance of the love and the sacrifice of fathers about her everywhere, her idea of Fathers' Day crystallized in 1910, through a formal Fathers' Day petition asking recognition of fatherhood."

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The 2010 FIFA World Cup™

South Africans hold high hopes for home team at 2010 FIFA World Cup™

Football fever has well and truly taken hold of South Africa, with public opinion towards the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ overwhelmingly positive and optimism surrounding the national team’s chances remarkably robust, according to latest market research conducted on FIFA’s behalf in May. The findings from the fifth instalment of a six-wave survey reinforce a strong sense of pride in South Africa hosting football’s showcase event (92 per cent), a firm belief it will be a success (86 per cent), as well as an eager anticipation for the competition to begin (86 per cent).

Asked to name whom they will be rooting for during the competition, unsurprisingly 63 per cent responded “South Africa”, followed by Brazil (11 per cent) and England (4 per cent). Strong optimism in the national side, Bafana Bafana, is reflected in respondents’ answer to who they think will win the trophy: five-times world champions Brazil (37 per cent) were cited as favourites, followed in second place by South Africa (13 per cent) and Spain (8 per cent). 13 per cent see South Africa reaching the final, while 22 per cent believe their nation will not make it past the group stage.

The player the majority are looking forward to seeing in action is Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (17 per cent), followed by Argentina’s Lionel Messi (12 per cent) and Brazil’s Kaká (10 per cent). Indeed, South Africans are keen to follow the 2010 FIFA World Cup, either live in the stadium or on TV: 38 per cent plan to watch as many matches as possible, while 29 per cent even intend to watch all games irrespective of the countries involved. In a clear indication that South Africans’ interest is not limited to their own national team, a mere 3 per cent of respondents said they would only watch matches when South Africa played.

Similar to the previous waves, the majority of respondents maintain high expectations in terms of the potential long-term benefits of hosting the FIFA World Cup, both tangible and intangible: 89 per cent believe it will leave a lasting legacy and be remembered fondly over generations, 80 per cent feel it will unite the people of South Africa, while 93 per cent believe the images of the country beamed out across the world will lure more tourists in future.

N.B.: This urban representative survey was conducted amongst 1,000 South African respondents in all major cities and 2010 FIFA World Cup Host Cities, with quotas for ethnic origin, age and gender. Interviewing was conducted face-to-face in calendar weeks 18-20, 2010.

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power surge protector

A standard surge protector passes the electrical current along from the outlet to a number of electrical and electronic devices plugged into the power strip. If the voltage from the outlet surges or spikes -- rises above the accepted level -- the surge protector diverts the extra electricity into the outlet's grounding wire.

In the most common type of surge protector, a component called a metal oxide varistor, or MOV, diverts the extra voltage. As you can see in the diagram below, an MOV forms a connection between the hot power line and the grounding line.

An MOV has three parts: a piece of metal oxide material in the middle, joined to the power and grounding line by two semiconductors.

These semiconductors have a variable resistance that is dependent on voltage. When voltage is below a certain level, the electrons in the semiconductors flow in such a way as to create a very high resistance. When the voltage exceeds that level, the electrons behave differently, creating a much lower resistance. When the voltage is correct, an MOV does nothing. When voltage is too high, an MOV can conduct a lot of current to eliminate the extra voltage.

As soon as the extra current is diverted into the MOV and to ground, the voltage in the hot line returns to a normal level, so the MOV's resistance shoots up again. In this way, the MOV only diverts the surge current, while allowing the standard current to continue powering whatever machines are connected to the surge protector. Metaphorically speaking, the MOV acts as a pressure-sensitive valve that only opens when there is too much pressure.

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